


City of Memories

by CoinOfDestiny



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Childhood Memories, Dancing, Domestic Bliss, Driving, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, First Dance, Fluff, Friendship, Hanging Out, Never Have I Ever, One Shot, Post-Canon, Post-The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:28:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27627485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoinOfDestiny/pseuds/CoinOfDestiny
Summary: Korra and Asami have been invited to a party to celebrate the new golden age the world looks ahead to, and to unwind from all of the turmoil on the road leading up to this point. They hope to have a fun, relaxing night with each other and their friends, but the past is not so easily left behind, and its hold seeks to put a damper on their evening.
Relationships: Bolin/Opal (Avatar), Korra/Asami Sato, Lin Beifong/Kya II
Comments: 8
Kudos: 72





	1. Part I

“There you go, all done.”

Korra leaned forward in her chair and looked into the mirror, examining her newly styled hair.

“You’ve been letting it grow out a little lately so that gave us some more options of what to do.” Asami said as she looked over her work. “I thought you’d look cute in a casual half bun, and I have to say, I’m a touch jealous.”

She could see Asami standing behind her, anxiously awaiting her opinion.

“I like it.” Korra grinned cheerfully as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, still studying herself. “I thought you were meant to be the snazzy one.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t be too, as you’re showcasing right now!” Asami returned a bright smile to her girlfriend through the mirror. “Now come on, I need your help putting on my dress. We shouldn’t take too long, or we’ll be late.”

* * *

Several weeks ago they received a letter from the Office of President Moon, inviting them both to a celebration in honour of everyone who had aided in the protection of Republic City in recent years. People from all walks of life had been invited, builders, police officers, healers and more. Zhu Li wanted to make sure that everyone knew their work was greatly appreciated.

Guided by the enlightened Avatar Korra, Republic City had become a monument to the dreams of unity and peace envisaged by its founders. At its heart, the Spirit Portal stood proud as a beacon of hope, its golden light shining upon the brave new world that had only recently been brought into being. Creating this world had been no easy task, nor would maintaining it be. In light of this, Zhu Li had thought it apt to hold a party for everyone to unwind with an evening of leisure and festivity. After everything that had happened over the years, no one disagreed.

In anticipation of this night, they had gone out earlier in the week to buy new clothes. Normally it wasn’t something Korra would have enjoyed doing but being with Asami allowed her to take pleasure in the moment. She had spent considerable time helping her partner pick the right attire, just as she had done for her.

Korra found herself a traditional yet beautifully decorated formal water tribe outfit embellished with white fur on the collar and the hems of the loose-fitting sleeves. Asami meanwhile left with a stylish dress which was coloured in her iconic rose red and adorned with golden embroidery to match her jewellery.

* * *

“Ok, give me a twirl.”

Asami span around on the spot several times, showing off her outfit to her girlfriend. “How do I look.” She purred, ostentatiously tossing her hair back and placing her hands on her hips.

“Dazzling.” Korra said slowly, gazing longingly at her girl in red.

“Thanks.” Asami giggled softly at Korra’s expression. “This is nice, but we should really get going now.”

Korra quickly slipped on her boots while Asami took a moment to don her heels before they both headed out to their Satomobile. With Asami taking the wheel, the two of them set out.

* * *

Their journey was mostly peaceful since Republic City was far more serene during the evening as opposed to its typically chaotic daytime bustle. As she drove, Asami hummed a tune to herself while the cool air lightly washed over both of their heads. Korra slumped down in her seat and shut her eyes, focusing on her girlfriend’s simple, soothing melody.

After a few minutes of perfect tranquil comfort, Korra’s peace was suddenly interrupted by a long, blaring car horn from the street over. Her calm shattered, she let out an exasperated sigh and opened her eyes.

“How are you doing over there?” Asami asked humorously, clearly having noticed her sudden change in demeanour.

“Just enjoying the sounds of the evening.” Korra replied light-heartedly, causing her girlfriend to chuckle.

She sat upright before continuing to speak. “At least this place shouldn’t be too far now. You know, I never realised just how relaxing the City can be at night. We should go out in the evenings more often.”

Asami kept her eyes on the road, not seeming to have heard her.

“So…what do you think?”

“Hmm? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about…it doesn’t matter.” Asami quickly brushed off her diverted attention and moved on as if it hadn’t happened. “You’re right, we should go out more in the evenings.”

She considered the proposition for a short time before continuing. “Hey, do you remember when I tried to teach you how to drive?” She asked softly, shooting a glance over to her partner before returning her gaze frontward.

Korra’s mind lingered over that day for a while, she reminisced over it, smiling to herself and indulging in the joy she felt at those memories.

“Yeah, I remember how stressed you were.” Korra teased.

“Can you blame me?” Asami retorted. “Anyway, that’s not the point. I thought maybe we could try again. We could do it at night, just look around, the road is practically deserted when it’s late.”

“That’s not really what I had in mind.” Korra shrugged to herself. “I was thinking of something more, y’know, relaxing.”

“I’ve told you before, driving _is_ relaxing. Once you get used to it at least. Come on, you must’ve enjoyed something from last time.”

“Now that you mention it, the instructor was _really_ pretty. But she could be a safety risk because I was looking at her way more than the road.”

“Well, you’re not wrong about the first part. But seriously, how about it?”

“I am serious, you’re so beautiful it’s dangerous.”

Asami exhaled sharply out of her nose, letting Korra know she was looking for a real answer.

“Sorry,” Korra said, regretting the joke. “I really did have fun with you last time, but…I don’t know. I was pretty hopeless. I’m not sure trying again is the best idea, driving just doesn’t come naturally to me.”

“Last time wasn’t that bad, we didn’t even crash! I know we nearly did...but everyone does that at some point.” Asami half smiled, keeping her eyes on the road.

Korra could tell she was desperately reaching for a silver lining.

“Also, so what if it doesn’t come naturally to you.” She continued. “I seem to recall you having a similar relationship with airbending at first, but now look at you!”

“Okay…fair point.” Korra looked away, unable to think of a counter to Asami’s annoyingly sensible reasoning.

“It’ll be fun, trust me. And as a bonus I won’t have to drive every time we go out.” Asami added, considerably quieter than before.

“Wait, is that why you want me to learn so badly?” Korra raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

“It’s…part of the reason.”

“The other part being?”

“That I enjoy your company.” Asami responded simply.

Korra conceded with an overdramatic sigh. “Can’t argue with that. I guess we can try again sometime.”

“That’s the spirit! You’ll love it in no time.” Asami smiled excitedly. “Hey look, we’re here.”

* * *

After a relatively short journey they arrived at their destination. Asami found them a space to park along the road near the venue and they made their way over to the building.

The party was being held inside the ballroom of The Serevena, a famously opulent and luxurious hotel. The entrance had been adorned with a wide variety of flowers displayed in an elaborate arrangement and standing at the forefront was President Moon, welcoming the groups of guests who were gradually arriving.

As the pair sauntered toward the hotel, Asami stopped suddenly, eyeing the venue for a moment before turning to her partner and smiling confidently.

“Care to escort me inside, Avatar Korra?” She said, outstretching her arm towards her girlfriend.

“I would be honoured, Miss Sato.” Korra linked their arms together and they resumed their walk with vigour.

Zhu Li greeted them just before they reached the main door, much less formally than she did the other guests. Korra presumed this was because they had a more familiar relationship with her than most of the other guests did.

Upon entry they made their way over to the ballroom at a leisurely pace. Korra was happy to go slowly for once, she felt completely carefree being here with Asami.

As they continued to make their way over, Korra felt Asami tighten her grip on her arm. Turning to face her, she noticed the taller woman had a distant look in her eyes.

“Hey, you all right?” Korra asked gently.

Asami quickly turned to face her. She was wide eyed as though she had just been awoken from a dream and for a split second seemed almost surprised to see Korra beside her, but upon meeting her eyes she quickly regained her composure.

“Of course I am. I’m here with you, aren’t I?”

Korra couldn’t tell whether that was supposed to be rhetorical. Unsure of what to say, she simply responded with a warm smile that masked her concern and kept on walking, hoping that Asami truly was all right.

When they finally reached the ballroom, Korra, despite the many wonders she had seen, found herself awestruck by its magnificence. The room was painted white with gold ornamentation added modestly enough to not be too pretentious. It was lit up by multiple chandeliers as well as tall windows on one side letting in the light from the City and providing a spectacular view. Several pillars lined either side of the room and decorative red lanterns were strung between them. Tables and chairs had been set up on the sides of the room for people to sit, chat and eat, with much longer tables of food and drink arranged at regular intervals.

An ensemble of sharply dressed men and women were moseying about on the front stage, some of them fiddling with instruments and making various adjustments while others sat around idly. If the instruments were not enough of a hint, their uniquely garish attire sent a clear message to all the world they were musicians. The area in front of the platform had been marked off, most likely for dancing once the music started. At least several hundred people had already arrived and there was still space for many more.

“Wow, this place is really something, huh.” Korra remarked in admiration.

“Yeah, I guess.” Asami agreed nonchalantly, looking around the room at nothing in particular before finally focussing on Korra. “Do you want to go and get something to drink?”

“Oh, sure.” Korra went along with Asami, even though she was more than a little perplexed by her uncharacteristic and sudden indifference.

They each picked up a glass of something fruity and lingered in the crowd for a while. Despite being the one to propose they get drinks, Asami didn’t even so much as take a sip. Instead, she just looked around, seemingly detached from her present surroundings. Korra didn’t want to accidentally cause her any hurt, but she was certain something was wrong and so decided to speak up.

“Asami, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Hmm? Oh, um…” She was silent for a moment and then simply sighed before speaking again. “Sorry. I’ll be okay. I’ve just…it’s a little surreal being here. I’m glad you’re here with me though.”

Asami smiled at her sincerely, letting her know she would be all right. Korra returned the smile, thankful that she said something at least, though still somewhat concerned for her.

“I’m–”

“Avatar! Asami!” A familiar voice shouted from nearby. The man generating the commotion clambered his way through the crowds and moved towards them. Emerging from the crowds, he suddenly appeared before them.

“Varrick.” The pair said in unison, displaying just enough enthusiasm to stay polite.

“Haven’t seen you guys in ages, isn’t it great here? How have you been? Zhu Li really killed it with this whole party thing, I helped too of course.”

Much to their ire, he continued babbling for far too long and with far too many extraneous details. He spewed out sentences so fast they occasionally sounded like gibberish. Some of it was plain nonsense, regardless of speed.

The pair were uncertain if they were supposed to respond to the various questions amid his ramblings, so they simply offered half smiles and nodded occasionally, waiting for him to come to an end. If Korra had liked him just a little bit less, she absolutely would have forgone all decorum and screeched at him to shut up.

“And that’s how I ended up selling bottled tap water!” He finally finished, coming to the end of a story neither of them had paid any attention to. It was unlikely there was a coherent point to be found regardless. “Anyway, Asami, I’ve got this great idea that I think you’ll be interested in. Whaddya say I run it by you?”

“Now?” Asami blurted out. She looked startled by the sudden proposition and appeared to be doing her best to not seem too irritated after his sudden interruption while she was trying to confide in Korra. “Can’t we do this some other time?”

“Come on, I promise it won’t take long. And I guarantee it’ll be great for your company.” He eagerly raised an eyebrow, continuing to press his scheme.

Asami looked down and stayed silent for a few moments, internally debating what to do. Eventually she sighed to herself and turned to face Korra.

“Will you be okay if I leave you for a bit?” She said apologetically.

Korra was still concerned for her and didn’t want to leave her side, but she had said that she would be okay. She knew just how important Future Industries was to her, and there was still more than enough time for them to spend together tonight. “You go ahead, I’ll be fine.” She said dejectedly, lying to both Asami and herself.

“Thanks. I’ll try to make this quick, see you soon.” Asami planted a kiss on her cheek before reluctantly departing.

Korra’s eyes lingered on Asami until she vanished in the distance, hidden by a horde of people. Being left on her own rendered her more than a little gloomy, so she decided to wander into the crowds in the hopes of stumbling upon someone she knew.

* * *

For what felt like forever, Korra was met with an endless sea of unfamiliar faces, all of them appearing far happier than she did now that she was alone. As she continued to drift amidst the crowds she found herself at a food table on the other side of the room. She stared down at it, sighing to herself.

“Korra?”

She looked up suddenly and turned around, her face brightening upon seeing one of her best friend’s standing opposite her.

“Mako! It’s good to see you.” Her spirits lifted somewhat, they exchanged warm smiles with one another and pulled each other into an embrace.

“It’s good to see you too. You look beautiful tonight.” Mako remarked.

“Meaning I don’t normally?” She said, narrowing her eyes in a harsh stare.

“What? No…I mean you do! That’s not what I…uh.”

Korra burst out laughing at her friend’s reaction. “Relax, I was joking.”

“Oh, right, yeah, I knew that.” He said, convincing no one. Not even random guests passing by who hadn’t heard the context.

“Don’t worry, I think you look beautiful too.” Korra teased.

“Uh, thanks. I think.”

“Anyway, have you seen anyone else around?” Korra asked. “So far you’re the only person I’ve run into that I actually want to hang out with.”

“Aren’t you here with Asami?” He asked with genuine concern, in a tone befitting of a close friend who just so happens to also be a police officer.

“Oh, right.” Her surge of happiness faded as she was reminded of why she had been so glum. “We came here together, but she went to go and talk to Varrick. Hopefully they’ll be done soon.”

“What does he want?” Mako probed as though he were investigating a crime, apparently still suspicious of Varrick, even after several years.

“Wanted to talk to her about some business idea I think.” She shook her head miserably. “It doesn’t matter. If you have any ideas, I could really go for a distraction right about now.”

“Well, Bolin, Opal and I are sat together, I just came over here to get us some food. Why don’t you come and join us?”

“Sure, that’d be good.”

Mako grabbed some food and together they made their way over to his table. Once they arrived, Bolin and Opal excitedly greeted Korra and she returned their sentiment in kind, finding her friends’ enthusiasm as infectious as always. As she and Mako sat down, she noticed Bolin looking at her quizzically.

“So…Is Asami here? Is everything okay? You guys are still together right? I’m not sure if I could handle you two breaking up. Korra? Korra please say something!” Bolin looked as though he was on the verge of tears after hastily stumbling through his wild speculation.

“What? Asami’s fine. _We’re_ fine, don’t worry.” Korra assured him with a smile, entertained by his excessively passionate care for them. “She’s just talking to Varrick right now.”

“Phew, that’s a relief.” Bolin returned to cheer so fast it was as though he had never even been worried. “So, what’s everyone been up to lately?” He asked casually, biting into a prawn.

They were all silent for a moment and so Korra decided to speak up. “Well, Asami and I visited the Southern Water Tribe not too long ago. We saw my parents, the scenery was beautiful as ever, all in all, it was a good trip.” Korra smiled to herself as she reflected over the good times they had shared, and how much she had enjoyed seeing her home again.

“Sounds like you guys had fun.” Opal responded joyfully, sincerely happy that her friends had had a good time together.

“Yeah…” Korra spent several moments in her memories before returning to reality and looking over to Opal. “How’s everything going in the Air Nation?”

“We’re doing really well. Everyone’s been helping out and Tenzin has been working especially hard lately; even more than usual. I think him and Pema are around here somewhere. I hope he’s taking a break tonight.”

“He spends enough time stressing; he definitely deserves some rest.” Korra said firmly as she smiled with Opal in agreement. “What about you Mako, how’s everything going?”

“I’m doing all right. Police work’s been keeping me busy lately so it’s nice to get out for once. Crime rate across the City is declining, so hopefully I’ll have more free time in the future. Might make it easier to get Team Avatar together so we can all hang out more often.”

“Yeah, just like the good old days.” Bolin sighed longingly. “Alas, we all have our responsibilities.”

“Um, Bolin, what exactly have you been doing lately?” Korra asked gently.

“Oh, not much. I’ve been helping the Air Nation recently, which has been fun,” He replied, looking over to his girlfriend jovially. “But you don’t want to hear about boring stuff like that right now. So, in more exciting news, Opal and I are moving in together!”

“Congrats! I hope it goes well.” Korra said with an optimistic smile, turning to see the firebender beside her looking comparatively unsurprised. “Mako, did you know already?”

“Well, he and I do live together…so, yeah, I found out a while ago.”

“Guess I need to get back in the loop, huh.” Korra said as she drained the remains of her glass.

All of a sudden, Korra felt someone gently place their hand on her shoulder, causing her to twist around sharply. She had hoped to see Asami’s beautiful visage beaming down at her, but instead she was met with the sight of a traditional water tribe dress, somewhat similar in style to her own. Looking up, she laid her eyes on another friend.

“Kya, hey.” Korra mumbled. She was genuinely happy to see her, they always got on well, but right now she was struggling to not come across as disappointed since she had been hoping for one person in particular.

“Hey, everyone.” Kya said, quickly waving in the general direction of all of them. “Korra, I don’t mean to pull you away from your friends, but I was hoping we could chat. In private.”

“Oh. Yeah, sure.” Korra was a little staggered by Kya’s sudden appearance and request, but even so she was happy to talk to her. Before leaving she turned back to face her friends. “I’ll see you guys soon.”

“Try not to take 3 years this time.” Mako joked, smiling cheekily.

“Hilarious.” Korra responded sarcastically as she got up, returning his smile to make sure he knew she didn’t mind the joke.

Kya led her over to a less crowded spot on the other side of the ballroom, grabbing them both a drink as they passed by one of the food tables. She suddenly came to a stop, looked at something in the distance, then turned back to Korra and handed her a glass.

“Is everything all right?” Korra asked, still puzzled as to why they were talking in private.

“Don’t worry, nothing’s wrong.” Kya said, trying to laugh off whatever fears she thought Korra might have had. “We haven’t seen each other for a while, and I was wondering how you and Asami are doing.”

“Oh!” This wasn’t what Korra had expected, but she was comfortable discussing her relationship with Kya. The waterbender was someone she was sure would understand her feelings completely, and so she didn’t feel the need to conceal anything. “Things have been going really well lately, what we have just feels so…so–”

“Special?” Kya interjected, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah. Special.” Korra smiled brightly, unashamed of the intense love she felt toward Asami.

A few moments later, her expression shifted and became more solemn. “Only thing is that…well, when we arrived here she seemed a little distant. Something was bothering her; she seemed a little timid and…sad. She didn’t tell me much before we were interrupted. She went off to talk to Varrick and I haven’t seen her since.”

“Hmm. So, everything seemed fine before you got here?” Kya spoke softly and carefully, making sure not to strike a nerve.

“I thought everything was going great, but after we got inside…I don’t know.” Korra said, looking down dolefully.

“For what it’s worth, I doubt she had any problem with you. Whatever was bothering her, I’m sure she’ll tell you when she’s ready.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I’m old, I know these things. Not to mention I’ve seen you two when you’re together, Asami trusts you more than anyone else. She probably just needs time, and a caring shoulder to lean on.” Kya gave Korra a friendly punch on the shoulder to make sure the message sank in.

Korra lifted her head, offering a sincere smile in thanks. “You’re right, I just hope she’s okay.”

“Don’t worry kiddo, so long as she’s got you she’ll be fine.” Kya’s eyes suddenly lit up as if she had just found a river of molten gold. “Hey, I’ve got an idea that’s sure to do you both some good. You need a bit of history first though. Technically it’s your history I guess…anyway, do you want the short or the long version?”

“Umm…just gimme the short of it, I don’t need all the details.” Korra said, unsure of what she meant by “ _your history”_.

“Okay, here goes. So, when my parents were kids, they were in this cave in the Fire Nation. They’d organised a party for some school kids, I don’t really remember why, or how, or much of what happened, but it doesn’t matter!” Kya was getting increasingly theatrical as she continued with her story. “After a while Dad invited Mom to dance, apparently they both thought it was super romantic and it really lifted their spirits. It was special enough that Mom still talks about it sometimes and–”

“So you think Asami and I should dance together?” Korra cut in abruptly, wondering if she truly had been told the short version.

“Yes!” Kya exclaimed exuberantly. “On a night like this, you need to seize the moment, be romantic, just let yourself melt into whatever the night brings.”

“I’m not sure.” Korra shrugged noncommittally. “I don’t really know how to dance, not with someone else at least; I’d just end up embarrassing us both.”

“That’s perfect!” Kya said excitedly.

Korra looked at her incredulously, mouth agape, utterly bewildered by her comment. “How exactly?”

“You might not be an adept dancer, but I guarantee Asami will know what she’s doing. All you have to do is ask her to teach you, and let me tell you, speaking from experience, teaching your girlfriend to dance is _extremely_ romantic.

“But–”

“Korra, just trust me on this and promise me you’ll ask her later.”

“Fine. I promise.” Korra finally gave in, mostly because the more she thought about it, the more she adored the idea of Asami guiding her across the dance floor.

“That’s good,” Kya said as she turned away from Korra and gazed into the distance again, ostensibly looking at nothing in particular. “Because she’s starting to look _really bored_.”

“What?” Korra turned in the same direction as Kya to see what she was looking at, and in the distance saw her girlfriend, still talking to Varrick and looking fairly dispirited.

“You should go and save her.” Kya suggested, tilting her head in Asami’s direction and nudging Korra with a light elbow jab.

“They’re discussing business, I shouldn’t interrupt.” Korra said downheartedly, looking away from them.

“We’re at a party, not some business meeting.” Kya took Korra’s drink from her hand with no resistance and set it down on a nearby table. “At the very least you should go and sit with her. Be her support.”

“If she wanted me there, wouldn’t she have asked me to go with her?” Korra asked. She could hear the conviction in her own voice slipping further and further down the steep slope Kya had created.

“Korra, from what you described she sounded pretty out of it at the time. If she was thinking straight, you and Asami would be together right now.” Kya surmised with the certainty of a Pai Sho player ten steps ahead of their opponent. “Just look at her and honestly tell me she wouldn’t be happier with you at her side.”

Korra turned back to look at her girlfriend, considering what to do. She studied all the details of her face and saw nought but despair. Asami was trying hard to hide it, but she knew her face all too well and her pain was abundantly clear.

Korra wanted to be with Asami, of course she did. But did her girlfriend want to be with her right now? Surely there was no way her presence would make everything worse. Would it?

As she continued to ponder over her predicament, Kya forcefully shoved her in Asami’s direction.

“What was that for?!”

“You’re doubting yourself so much it’s ridiculous!” Kya shouted, drawing the attention nearby guests. “Stop questioning yourself and just go!”

Korra simply sighed and started to walk toward Asami. Just before leaving Kya behind, she stopped and turned back to her. “Is this why you brought me over here?”

Kya’s eyes narrowed and a sly grin spread across her face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Korra smiled back and nodded in thanks as she set off with newfound confidence towards her girlfriend. Kya was completely right; she was being utterly ridiculous. Asami was everything to her, and right now she needed her support.

When Korra got close to them, Asami noticed her approach and her whole face swiftly softened in comfort. Before this she had been like a fire starved of oxygen, but now that Korra was near, the fire had been stoked into a roaring blaze as energy returned to her spirit.

“Varrick, this has been great.” Asami stated with no sincerity whatsoever, interrupting him mid ramble. “But I think we’ve talked for long enough, so I’ll be off now.” She made it absolutely clear, even to him, she was no longer interested in whatever he was saying.

Asami got up and walked away before Varrick even had the slightest chance to protest. He was left momentarily baffled before simply shrugging to himself in acceptance.

Korra stood by and waited for Asami to join her and together they proceeded to walk in a totally random direction. Now that they had each other, she didn’t care where they were headed, so long as Asami was by her side there was no place she would rather be.

Neither of them said anything until they came to a stop in a quiet corner on the other side of the room.

“Thanks for coming to find me. It’s good to see you again.” Asami had one arm reaching across her chest and holding onto the other. It was one of her more obvious signs she was feeling uneasy, an unspoken action which let Korra know that despite being a little happier, she was still troubled by something.

“You too.” Korra replied.

They stood in awkward silence for a short while. Korra had no idea if the best way to help her girlfriend would be to talk with her about earlier, or if she should just act like everything was normal, when it very clearly wasn’t. Thankfully, Asami spoke up before she had to decide.

“Listen, I’m really sorry about leaving you back there, I shouldn’t have done that.” Her voice was low and her eyes downcast. “I wanted to stay with you, but when he mentioned my company, I guess I felt obliged to hear him out.”

“You don’t need to apologise.” Korra reassured her calmly, attempting to meet her eyes. “I won’t pretend to fully understand, but it’s your family legacy, so I can imagine just how important Future Industries is to you.”

“I appreciate that, really, but we came here to spend time with each other and have fun, and so far I’ve not helped much with either of those.” Asami murmured weakly. “I just don’t want to be a burden. My own troubles shouldn’t ruin our evening.”

It pained Korra to see her like this. She couldn’t just stand by while her girlfriend thought of herself as little more than dead weight, existing only to bring down the people around her. In a show of compassion and support, she gripped onto the taller woman’s shoulders and locked eyes with her. “Asami, your feelings aren’t ruining _anything_.”

As Korra spoke, she could feel a cold shiver run down her partner’s spine.

“I don’t know what’s wrong, but whatever is going on I’m right here for you to lean on.” Korra declared. “And don’t you _dare_ think for a second that you’re a burden because you’re not. All I want is for you to be okay, so if there’s anything you need, please, just say the word and I’ll do whatever I can.” Her words conveyed the same kindness Asami had shown her so many times in the past when she was in need. The only difference was in their subtlety, of which Korra had none.

“Thank you, that means a lot right now.” As Asami looked back into the Avatar’s caring gaze, she quickly began to relax. Her previously stiff posture completely softened under Korra’s firm hold. “I want to tell you everything, but doing it here doesn’t feel right. So, I’ve got an idea.”

“What did you have in mind?” Korra asked as she gradually let go of her, thankful to see the light back in her partner’s eyes.

“There’s a garden around back which I’d love to show you, we can talk there. Though, there's a small problem since I can see the only way to get there is roped off.”

“Then we sneak through.” Korra stated nonchalantly.

Asami smiled broadly, rejuvenated by the selfless care and determination of the Avatar, her girlfriend, the love of her life. “That might just work, come on.” She took Korra by the hand with renewed spirit and led her over to the roped off door.

They loitered nearby for a while until they thought it clear to slip by. Hastily, they slinked their way past the rope and through the door, doing their best to not draw any attention to themselves.

* * *

Cautiously, they made their way down several corridors towards the back of the hotel. Just when they thought themselves in the clear, they heard someone in the distance heading towards them from around a corner. Korra froze in panic as her brain scrambled for a solution.

“Hey, over there.” Asami whispered to her, gesturing towards a nearby door.

Korra was thankful for her girlfriend’s quick thinking until she opened the door, revealing an unlit supply room which despite having almost no supplies inside was still awkwardly cramped.

“Are you serious?!” Korra objected, probably a little too loudly.

“Well if you have a better idea, please, I would love to hear it. Why don’t we stand out here and discuss our options at length?” Asami hissed with a barely audible yet clearly annoyed tone.

Recognising this was their only option to remain undetected, Korra conceded and hurried inside. She positioned her back against the left wall as Asami glided in after her, standing on the opposite side and carefully shutting the door behind them.

The only light inside was the tiny slither which crept in through the gap in the door, offering the slightest amount of comfort inside the dingy room they now found themselves in.

As the heavy pounding of footsteps got closer they both held their breath, waiting for whoever was outside to pass. Their pace was swift and regular, as consistent and precise as a battalion’s march.

Once the unknown person was almost right outside of their hiding space, the pair could hear them slowing down before finally coming to a halt. In an instant, the door flung open. The sudden influx of light temporarily made it difficult for the pair to see whoever was standing in the doorway.

“What are you two doing in there?!” Demanded the booming voice.

Both of them remained motionless, paralysed from fear by the intimidating shouting. It didn’t take long for their distress to subside once they realised the figure was a familiar one. Before them stood none other than Chief Beifong, striking an imposing authoritative pose and laying down the law, as ever. Her clothing was appropriate for the event which let them know she was off duty, but despite this, she was patrolling vacant corridors rather than enjoying the festivities. Apparently justice never rests; or for one reason or another she was looking for an excuse to avoid the party.

“Hi Lin, how’s your evening going?” Korra asked boldly, openly ignoring the question and acting as though nothing about her and Asami crammed together in a storage room in an off-limits area was even mildly bizarre. After everything they had all been through together over the years, she saw her as a friend, rather than merely the embodiment of law and order she often presented herself as.

Sighing to herself, Lin dropped her commanding demeanour for a brief moment and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Just get out of there, you both look ridiculous.” She mumbled, shutting her eyes for a moment, evidently too fatigued to deal with them in an official capacity.

Both Korra and Asami awkwardly shuffled out of their hiding spot and out into the corridor, anxiously waiting for the Chief of Police to speak.

“You should be grateful I haven’t already removed you both from the premises.” Lin barked sternly, but in a manner which gave away the fact she had no intention of taking serious action against either of them.

“How’d you even know we were in there?” Korra asked sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Her I didn’t hear.” Lin said, pointing to Asami before folding her arms. “You on the other hand, I could’ve heard your voice from a mile away.”

Upon hearing this, Korra’s face shifted into a red hue out of embarrassment, worsening as Asami turned to face her and offered nothing but a withering stare.

“Now, tell me what you’re doing back here.”

“Well, we were, um…” Korra stammered, stumbling over her words and producing vague and meaningless hand gestures.

“We’re just going to the garden, it’s no big deal.” Asami added self-assuredly, folding her arms in a surprisingly successful attempt to match the striking posture of the older woman.

“Look, I decide if it’s a big deal.” Lin snarled. She paused for a moment, eyeing them down and assessing the situation. “I suppose it’s no big deal…but that doesn’t change the fact you’re not supposed to be back here.”

“Come on Lin, you can trust us.” Korra chimed in with a crooked little half smile. “Besides, you’re not even on duty, so why don’t you just head over to the ballroom, grab a drink and relax. You work hard all the time, do yourself a favour and take the night off.” Korra was very clearly trying to get rid of her, but she still meant everything she said.

Lin considered this in silence for an uncomfortably long time, narrowing her eyes at the pair. Meanwhile, Korra and Asami stood facing her, awkwardly grinning as she contemplated what to do.

“Fine. You can go.” She finally declared. “Just don’t cause any trouble. And this doesn’t mean I like either of you!”

The pair thanked her for judging them mercifully before they promptly left, maintaining their awkward expressions all the while. As they got further away, Lin saw Asami take Korra by the hand and continue to lead her out into the garden.

Once they were completely out of sight, Lin smiled to herself in admiration before heading over to the ballroom to try and get some much-needed relaxation. She remained mildly annoyed at Korra. Not because of what just happened, but because she knew the Avatar’s words rang true.

* * *

The moment she laid her eyes upon it, Korra was mesmerised by the garden’s indisputable beauty. There was no doubt that the same artful majesty showcased throughout the architecture of the interior had been applied just as skilfully outside. In a way, it reminded her of the Spirit World. Although they looked nothing alike, they shared a similarly intense and enigmatic dreamlike aura.

Side by side they stood in the veranda as the both of them admired the view. The greenery was lush and verdant but not even slightly overgrown. There were vast arrays of flowers neatly arranged in various spots across the grounds, and there was a footpath lined with bushes on both sides which had been perfectly sculpted to resemble iconic animals belonging to each of the four nations. Proudly stood along it was a badgermole, a dragon, a sky bison, and a pair of koi fish circling one another. Korra had never seen them in person, but she knew the latter to be a depiction of Tui and La.

Once Korra had drunk deep of the beauty before her, she looked over to the beauty beside her, who seemed totally captivated by their surroundings and was busy taking in every detail. She saw in Asami’s eyes the same faraway look from earlier, only this time something was different. Her entire demeanour was restful, she seemed comfortable, perhaps even content, and was grinning to herself ever so slightly. Deciding not to interrupt her partner’s thoughts, Korra simply stood by her side for as long as she needed.

After a few minutes, Asami let out a deep breath and gently placed her hand upon her girlfriend’s shoulder. “There’s something I’d like to show you.” She whispered. Her voice was sombre and yet she still found the strength to continue smiling through the pain as she held out her other hand to Korra. “It’s…important to me.”

Saying nothing, Korra returned her smile and took the hand offered. Unhurriedly, she was led further down the garden along the winding pathway to a secluded spot previously out of sight.

Upon reaching the other end of the garden they were met with the sight of a vibrant cherry blossom tree, blooming beautifully as it stood alone against the shining backdrop of Republic City. Beneath the tree sat a wooden bench facing away from them, it was well-worn but looked after and gave off an inexplicable feeling of once being greatly loved.

“This is beautiful.” Korra whispered, not wishing to disturb the palpable tranquillity of the garden.

“It is, isn’t it.” Asami said, matching Korra’s volume and gazing longingly at the bench, and then at her girlfriend. “Why don’t we sit down for a bit.”

Korra sat down first while Asami hesitated momentarily before joining her. She seemed to be having difficulty making herself comfortable. Noticing this, Korra wrapped her arm around the taller woman, causing her to snuggle up closer to the Avatar and nestle her head onto her shoulder, shutting her eyes in contentment.

For what felt like hours they sat together on the old bench under the tree, basking in the light of the City and taking great comfort in each other’s warming presence.

* * *

Asami spoke after a little while, breaking the stillness and silence of the night. “I think now’s probably a good time to tell you why I’ve been acting so strange tonight.”

All Korra wanted was for her to be okay, but she didn’t want her to feel pressured into saying anything she might not want to.

“I don’t mind if you don’t want to tell me.” Korra said. “Don’t feel like you have to.”

“It’s fine, really.” Asami reassured her. “I want to tell you. I think talking about it will help.”

Asami seemed relaxed now, but an air of melancholy loomed around her, threatening to pierce her tranquillity.

Korra kept her arm wrapped around the taller woman, trying to keep her comfortable and making sure to listen attentively in the hopes she could act as her pillar of support.

Asami paused for a moment, considering how exactly to begin. “You might’ve realised already, but…I’ve been here before. When I was little, my parents and I would come here a lot. They took me along to all sorts of events in the hotel and sometimes we came here just for this garden. Even though it was so long ago, I still remember it vividly.”

She grinned softly to herself, her posture completely relaxed now. “We’d play for hours in this garden, relax in the sun, I loved it. Together we sat where we are right now, and I’d cuddle up with them. I felt safe, like nothing in the world could go wrong.” She let out a brief humourless laugh. “Pretty naïve in hindsight, huh.”

Korra looked over to her worriedly, continuing to hold onto her, a little tighter now.

“After my mother died, I didn’t want to come back here. Neither did my father. Just thinking about it hurt a little too much, so we didn’t talk about it. _Ever_.” She spoke with a grim tone, remaining steadfast against the darkness. “For years this place was special to us, I still cared about it, but I decided the only way to move on was to force myself to forget. So that’s exactly what I did. I never thought about it and I never came back. The thing is, even though I stopped thinking about it, I never actually moved on. The pain never really left, and after my father died I think it just got worse.”

As she continued, her head drooped towards the ground and she shut her eyes. “I had no intention of coming back here. When we got the invitation for this party I wasn’t even sure about coming at first, but I convinced myself I would be okay. I didn’t think just being here would affect me so badly. When we walked inside, I don’t know, something came over me. I suddenly felt the weight of everything I’d bottled up for years and it was overwhelming.”

She quickly glanced over to Korra and found solace in seeing her caring mien beside her. “I couldn’t stop thinking about my parents, so when Varrick said he had a proposal that could be good for Future Industries I felt like I owed it to them to at least hear him out.” She whispered, turning back to face her girlfriend. “Sorry again about that. I know you’re going to tell me I don’t have to apologise, but you’re just as important to me as they were, and I shouldn’t have treated you like an afterthought.”

“It’s okay, really.” Korra added gently.

“Still, I don’t feel good about it.” Asami breathed in deeply before continuing. “This garden…it’s been in the back of my mind for so many years. Tonight I realised that I can’t run and hide from the past anymore. I knew I wouldn’t have closure unless I saw it for myself – which is why I suggested we talk here.”

“Even though it’s been fifteen years since I was here last, it hardly feels different. I’d like to think both of them are watching over us, happy knowing you and I are here now.” As Asami finished speaking she let out a long sigh of relief. “So, now you know everything.”

“I’m glad you told me.” Korra said after a moment of silence, hoping to offer her partner some comfort. “How are you feeling now?”

“A lot better, I really needed this; it feels good to have all that out in the open. Now I won’t have to suppress all of the good memories I had here with my parents.” Asami turned to Korra, her eyes were watering but she wiped them quickly and offered up a sincere smile. “I couldn’t have done this alone. Thank you for being here with me.”

“I’ll always be here for you.” Korra reached over and wiped a lone tear from her girlfriend’s cheek. “For anything.”

“You’re incredible, you know that.” Asami looked into the eyes of her partner with the same pure love she could see staring back at her. They beamed longingly at one another, each completely entranced by the presence of the other. “I love you, Korra. So much.”

Korra moved her other arm around Asami’s neck and slowly shifted herself forward. She leaned her head in and met her girlfriend halfway as they shared in a fleeting, yet passionate kiss. Although it was only for a brief moment, this in no way diminished just how much the two of them enjoyed the warm affection of each other.

“I love you too.” Korra purred as her lips separated from Asami’s.

Pulling away, they sat back, the both of them completely at ease as they held on to one another.

“I wish we could stay in this moment forever.” Asami whispered, smiling wistfully.

“But then it wouldn’t be a moment.” Korra said with a voice that was solemn but not sorrowful, conveying wisdom well beyond her years.

“You’re right. But if it can only be a moment, I’m glad it’s with you.” Asami whispered joyfully, looking over to Korra in adoration. “I came here with my family years ago, now I can visit with my family as much as I like.”

“What do you– oh, you mean me.” Korra quickly laughed off her moment of confusion, hoping it would go ignored.

Asami giggled upon seeing her girlfriend’s humorous expression. “For someone so wise, you can be a little oblivious every now and then.”

“Wha– Hey!”

“Don’t worry, I think it’s endearing.” Asami said reassuringly as she unsuccessfully tried to suppress her giggling. Korra pouting beside her didn’t help with this.

After her laughter had subsided, she returned to a bluer tone. “Being here with you, it reminds me of all the time I spent here with my parents. I don’t think I realised just how much I missed this place, how much I missed all of us being here together; being happy, being a family.”

“I’ll always cherish the memories I made here with them.” She continued. “They’re gone, I’ve accepted that now. But I’d love to share this place with you in the future, if you want.”

“I’d like that.” Korra replied.

“I’m glad.” Asami smiled contently. “I wish I’d told you about all of this sooner. I would have, but It was hard just to think about all of this, let alone talk to you about it.”

“Asami, you can talk to me about anything. You’re my girlfriend. Your problems are my problems. Even if the only thing you’re worrying about is that your lipstick is smudged, I’ll be there for you in a heartbeat. Like I said, I’ll always be here for you, for anything.”

“Thank you, Korra.” She looked over to her girlfriend affectionately, eternally grateful to have someone so kind and compassionate prepared to walk to the ends of the world for her.

After a moment of quiet, she thought over what Korra had said and started giggling again. “So, you’re really prepared to help me with my makeup?”

“Why not? It can’t be that hard.”

“As much as I appreciate the sentiment, I’m not sure that _The Avatar, Master of all Four Elements, Part Time Makeup Artist_ , has a good ring to it.”

Korra chuckled along with her. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Besides, even if I did fix your lipstick, I’d probably just kiss you and smudge it again.”

“It’d be worth it.” Asami purred, before losing herself laughter again.

Once their giggling died down, Asami sat herself upright while Korra kept her arm wrapped around her. “If we stay out here for much longer someone might start to miss us, we should probably get back.”

“So soon?” Korra asked downheartedly.

“Don’t get me wrong, this has been fantastic, and I’ve loved every second of being here with you.” Asami grinned cheerfully. “But we’ve been out here for a while now, and I’d like to enjoy the rest of this party with you. Besides, we can come back here any time after tonight.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Shall we head back then?”

“Sure, but, just a few more minutes?”

“Okay.” Asami laid back again, relaxing in Korra’s loving embrace.

**_End of Part I_**


	2. Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anything is possible, when you have inner peace. At the very least it will allow Korra and Asami to finally enjoy the festivities of the party.

“Hey, you ready to head back?” Korra whispered.

Asami slowly lifted her head from her partner’s shoulder and sat upright. She was uncertain of exactly how much time had passed, but she was fully aware that it had been _much_ longer than just a few more minutes.

“Mmm, yeah, sure.” She replied.

Asami neglected to mention why she had not again prompted that they head back sooner and instead left Korra to be the one to do so. Korra assumed that she had simply lost track of time. The truth was that despite being the one to originally suggest they leave, Asami found herself unable to utter the words again, her body cosily numbed by her girlfriends presence. She felt just as snug and safe with Korra as she had when she was little and cuddled up in the embrace of her parents.

Reluctantly, they got up together and made their way back towards the main building, slowly enough that were it not for their appearance, a passer-by might have mistaken them for an elderly couple.

As they neared the back door to the hotel, Korra glanced to one side for a moment and saw something that left her eyes lingering and gave her an idea.

“Asami, wait here.”

“Um…okay.”

“And close your eyes!” Korra shouted back as she hastily made her way over to the other end of the garden.

Asami did as requested and waited for a few moments before she heard the sound of footsteps sprinting back at her.

“Okay, you can open your eyes.” Korra said through heavy breaths.

She did so and was met with the sight of her girlfriend stood in front of her, wearing a giddy smile and holding up a single bright pink flower.

“For you.” Korra blushed ever so slightly as she toyed with a strand of her own hair.

“It’s beautiful.” Asami whispered, flush with delight.

“Here, why don’t you…” Korra reached up and planted the flower into the side of Asami’s hair before standing back in admiration. “Whaddya think?”

“Well, I don’t have a mirror.” Asami shrugged. “Looks like I’ll have to rely on your opinion. So, what do _you_ think?” She asked, narrowing her eyes seductively.

Korra gazed lovingly at her before answering. “Somehow, you’re even prettier.”

“Thank you.” She giggled. “Let’s go and show it off.”

* * *

They managed to get back to the ballroom without the same trouble they faced on their previous venture. It didn’t seem as though much had changed since they had taken off, save for the band, who had now fully set themselves up and were pouring their hearts out through the medium of song. A large crowd of people were now dancing in front of the stage. Some in groups, some by themselves, and some as couples.

“I don’t know about you, but I could really go for something to eat.” Asami said. “Why don’t we grab some food and find somewhere to sit.”

“Ooh, that reminds me,” Korra remarked. “Earlier I was hanging out with Mako, Bolin, and Opal. If you want, we can pick up something to eat and go and find them. I know where they’re sat so it’ll be easy. Plus, Mako seemed pretty concerned when he saw you weren’t with me; and Bolin was terrified that we’d broken up.”

Asami smiled to herself. “They were really worried about us, huh.”

“Yeah, it was kinda funny.”

“I think it’s sweet.” Asami stated softly. “I guess we should go and find them then; maybe if they see us together it’ll alleviate their fears. Besides, we need to get Team Avatar together more. But first, food.”

Korra nodded in agreement. Her stomach encouraged her to do so.

* * *

They hurriedly made their way over to the nearest food table. Once there, Korra took a plate and stacked it with various appetisers for them to share. They were both famished and so she took a generous portion. At your average event in a fancy hotel, this would have been considered a serious faux pas, but no one in attendance was anywhere near uptight enough to so much as offer a disapproving sideways glance at them. Not that either of them would care if someone did.

Following this, Korra led Asami over to where their friends had been sitting, only to find they were no longer there.

“I thought you said you knew where they were.” Asami said, looking around and seeing no sign of any of their friends.

“They must’ve moved or something. Come on, it shouldn’t take us that long to just stumble into one of them, right?”

Korra headed off in a completely random direction, confident that they would find their friends, or just stumble across them by luck. Unfortunately, Asami didn’t have a better plan, so she simply shrugged and followed along.

After a few minutes of no luck, Asami noticed her stomach rumbling, causing her to blush slightly in embarrassment. Korra heard this and turned to offer her the plate. She quickly thanked her, took a few stuffed dumplings and ate as they walked.

Korra never judged her, instead she was always present to offer a helping hand. This was one of her many qualities which Asami loved.

“Hey, look.” Korra said suddenly. She pointed to a nearby table where they could see Kya chatting with somebody else.

“Are you feeling okay? You do know that’s Kya, not Opal, right?” Asami teased.

“Yes, but she might’ve seen them. It doesn’t hurt to ask.”

“Fine, but let’s try and make it quick. I could eat a whole Platypus Bear right about now.”

“You’ll have to settle for some skewered Possum Chicken, but I get the point.”

As they approached the table, Kya noticed them and grinned to herself, happy that her intervention had worked, and the pair were back together.

Once they got closer, the pair were able to see who she was sat with. To their surprise, their eyes were met with the sight of Lin, looking unusually happy, and not showing any signs of being annoyed with either of them about earlier.

“Hey, if it isn’t you two!” Kya called out, looking just as happy as the woman opposite her. “How are you doing?”

“We’re great.” Asami replied quickly, eager to find their friends so she could sit down and continue eating. “We were just wondering if you’d seen Mako, Bolin or Opal around.”

“Yeah, I think I saw them heading over thataway.” Kya pointed towards a row of tables and chairs, too far away to make out who was sitting there. “By the way, that flower in your hair is beautiful. Really suits you.”

“Oh! Thank you. It was a gift.” Asami grinned and glanced over to Korra.

“Well, I’m sure whoever gave it to you really cares about you.” Kya said, turning to look at Korra as well. “You two should go and find your friends, you don’t want to spend all night talking to us. Go on and have fun.”

They both thanked her for the information and turned away to leave, but were interrupted before they got the chance to walk away.

“Wait a sec.” Lin said with an uncharacteristically gentle tone. “Before you go, I just want to say sorry about earlier. I was…overly harsh. You two aren’t all that bad.” It appeared as though it was causing her physical pain to admit this, although there was no doubt her words were sincere.

“And…thank you.” She continued. “You were right. I do need a little more relaxation in my life.” Lin turned back to Kya and moved her lips into an almost imperceptible smile, which was retuned by Kya far more brazenly.

“Oh, um, don’t worry about it.” Korra stammered. “Anyway, we’re gonna go now. So, thanks. And I’ll see you around, I guess.”

Asami turned away to leave and as Korra moved to join her she noticed Kya looking at them deliberately.

 _“Dance with her.”_ Kya silently mouthed to Korra as a reminder, followed by a subtle wink.

Korra smiled in remembrance of the suggestion from earlier and gave her a quick nod before joining Asami. They walked away swiftly, not wishing to interrupt Kya and Lin any more than they already had.

“Did you see them together?!” Korra exclaimed once they were far enough away.

“Korra.”

“They’re so sweet together; and we’re the ones who convinced Lin to come and join in with the party!”

“Korra.”

“How long do you think it’s been going on? Or maybe it just started tonight. Maybe Lin saw us and went over to find Kya to tell her how she felt! How great would that be?”

“Korra, stop speculating. It’s none of our business.”

“Oh come on, you can’t tell me you don’t think they’re adorable together.”

“We shouldn’t assume, and we definitely shouldn’t go around spreading rumours, so don’t tell anyone.” Asami ordered sternly.

“But…yes.” She continued, much softer now. “I think they’d make a beautiful couple.”

* * *

Upon reaching the spot Kya had pointed to, they immediately saw Mako and Bolin sat together and moved in to join them.

“Guess who’s back!” Korra shouted at them, causing Mako, Bolin and everyone else nearby to turn and face them.

“Asami!” Replied the two brothers in unison. Their joyous reaction left her feeling delighted, but also a little embarrassed now that all eyes in close vicinity were on her.

“Yeah, and me.” Korra mumbled to herself.

The four friends moved towards one another in order to exchange greetings, but rather than simply saying something friendly, Bolin pulled the other three in and wrapped his arms around all of them into an enormous bear hug. Korra quickly managed to land her plate of food on the table before he caused her to drop it.

“Team Avatar! All together again!” He yelled happily.

None of them attempted to pull away, even Mako, whose injured arm was being squeezed a little too uncomfortably. Bolin’s friendly affection was always welcome, and so they all allowed for him to decide when to let go. Their embrace went on for so long that all prying eyes lost interest in the group and returned to their own affairs.

Once it ended, they all sat down at the table to chat. Korra and Asami began to heartily dig into their food, which they finally had the chance to enjoy.

“So, what did I miss when you three were sat together?” Asami asked in between bites.

“Not much.” Bolin said. “Korra might’ve told you already, but, Opal and I are moving in together.”

“What? how is that _not much_?!” Asami blurted out in shock, nearly choking on an octopus fritter. “That’s great news! I’m sure everything will go well, you two are wonderful together.”

“I hope so. It’s exciting, but I am a little nervous.” He replied.

“I felt the same way when Korra and I planned to move in together. But when the day finally came, it worked out perfectly.” Asami turned to face her girlfriend and grinned affectionately. “Don’t worry, you guys will be just fine.”

“Thanks, you’re probably right. I know Opal’s excited, so it should be great!” He said, exhaling with relief.

“Speaking of Opal, where is she?” Korra asked.

“Jinora and Ikki dragged her away, but they wouldn’t say why.” Bolin shrugged.

They sat in silence for a few moments as Bolin took a long chug of his drink, Mako sipped on his, and Korra and Asami finished off the last of their plate.

“We need some excitement.” Korra stated suddenly. “Anyone got any ideas?”

“I might have something.” Bolin said. “There’s this drinking game the Triple Threats used to play. Mako and I never played, but we saw them doing it.”

“What are you talking abo– oh, that.” Mako sighed.

“Yeah! It’ll be fun! I’ll go and get us some drinks, and Mako can explain the rules.” Bolin got up and headed off before anyone could raise any objections.

“Mako, what in the world was that?” Asami demanded, showing unintentional scorn in her words. “And why would we want to play a game that a bunch of criminals taught you?”

“It’s harmless, really.” He tried to assure them defensively. “You’ll get the hang of it right away; and it might be fun.”

“ _Might?_ ” Korra questioned, clear doubt visible across her face.

“Well, I’ve never actually played it, but is seemed fun.” He said with as much certainty as a man betting on which side of a yuan would land face up. “Listen, here’s how it works. Someone starts by saying _never have I ever_ , and then they finish the sentence however they want. Whoever has done that thing, drinks. Then repeat with the next person making a statement.”

Korra looked over to Asami, who in turn looked to her.

“It doesn’t sound that bad I guess.” Korra confessed.

“Yeah, I suppose it could be fun.” Asami agreed with a shrug.

Out of nowhere Bolin came back with a tray filled with shot glasses of vodka and proceeded to set it down in the middle of the table.

“They just…let you take the whole tray?” Mako observed.

“Yeah! Well, not exactly.” Bolin explained as he sat down. “No one seemed to mind at least. Come on let’s start; Mako, you go first.”

“Um, okay.” He began. “Alright, I got it. Never have I ever, faked an illness to get out of work.”

Asami shook her head at him, meanwhile, Korra and Bolin both slowly reached into the centre of the table, took a glass and downed a shot.

“Tsk, tsk, Bo, how could you?” Mako asked sarcastically as he shook his head in pretend disapproval.

“It was only a few times.” Bolin mumbled defensively, not taking note of his brother’s sarcasm. “When I was doing the movers for Varrick he could be really demanding. I had to fake sickness just to catch a break.”

“Well, we forgive you.” Mako said before turning to the Avatar. “Korra, I can’t believe…actually, I’m not surprised.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” She replied in annoyance.

“Back when we did Pro-bending, I seem to recall you not being a big fan of morning training. So it’s not really shocking that you’ve faked illness to get out of something.” He said.

“Fine, but I haven’t done it that many times.” She conceded.

“How about you tell us about the most recent time?” He suggested.

“Oh, um, I don’t think that’s necessary.” She said as her face started to redden.

“Want me to tell the story for you?” Asami chimed in.

“What? No!” Korra protested.

“Please do.” Mako said to Asami.

“So, this one morning she’s supposed to go to training with Tenzin, but by the time she should’ve left the house, she’s still in bed.” Asami revealed, purposefully ignoring her girlfriend’s disapproving stare. “I go to tell her she’s going to be late, and then…Korra, what was it you said again?”

“That the mornings are evil…” She groaned.

“Yeah, and you also said that if he wanted you to actually show up, Tenzin should’ve organised the training for a normal hour.” Asami rebuked. “And then somehow you convinced me to lie to him for you.”

“Thanks again for that.” Korra whispered softly.

“Well, I’m not going to do it again.” Asami said rather unconvincingly, knowing full well that if asked, she would almost certainly do so again.

“And how many times has something like that happened?” Mako asked, suppressing a laugh.

“Let’s just say more than once and leave it at that.” Korra stated decisively.

“Alright, alright. Who’s going next then?” He asked.

“Ooh me!” Bolin put himself forward with childlike joy. “Never have I ever…um, cut my own hair? Yeah. Never have I ever cut my own hair.”

Korra reached forward and took another glass, and to her surprise, so too did Asami. They both downed a shot, and then looked at one another, each as baffled as the other.

“When did you do that?” Asami asked, shocked by this revelation.

“I thought you knew!” Korra insisted. “When I cut my hair short, I just got a blade and, y’know, went for it.”

“How could I have known that?! I just assumed someone did it for you. So, you just casually took a knife and–”

“Anyway…” Korra interjected, not wishing to be scolded for her spontaneous decision. “What about you? I know you go to a hair salon, so when did you do it yourself?”

“Oh, um…It was just this one time when I was about fourteen. Sometimes I’d play dress up, experiment with outfits, do my own hair and makeup, that sort of thing.”

“That is so adorable! How have you never mentioned this?” Korra interrupted, beaming from ear to ear.

“I really didn’t think you would care that much.” She assured her. “Anyway, back to the story. One day, I decided I wanted shorter hair, and instead of getting a professional to do it, I thought I could do it on my own. I couldn’t. Long story short, it was _badly_ uneven, and a qualified hairdresser had to cut it shorter than I originally planned; but on the plus side it ended up looking pretty.”

“How short was it?” Bolin asked.

“A little longer than Korra’s is now.” She elaborated.

“You had short hair? I would’ve loved to have seen that.” Korra dreamed longingly.

“I think we’ve got a couple of pictures at home.” Asami mentioned nonchalantly.

“Okay, you _have_ to show me later. Please?” Korra pleaded.

“I’ll think about it.” Asami said, intentionally dangling the prospect in front of her girlfriend. “In the meantime, I think it’s my turn. So, never have I ever read, or watched, anything fictional.”

The other three all looked at her in disbelief, unable to comprehend that anyone had gotten this far in life without a shred of _something_ fictitious.

“Nothing?” Korra asked sceptically.

“Nothing.” Asami confirmed.

“Not even Nuktuk?” Bolin enquired dejectedly.

“Sadly, no.” She said, slightly sarcastically.

“How come?” Mako pondered. “I thought everyone would have read a story or something at some point.”

“I’m not really sure.” She shrugged. “It's not something I dislike per se, I’ve just never really felt an itch for it. I take it all of you have though, so, drink up.”

As per the rules of the game, all three of them drank upon request, still stunned by this discovery.

“I bet I can find something you’ll like.” Korra said to Asami with absolute confidence.

“Oh Yeah? Well, if you have something in mind I’m open to trying it.”

“How about this, one day, I’m gonna take you to the movers; or the theatre! I’ve never been, but it could be fun.”

“Or romantic.” Asami purred.

“Mmm, sounds good.” Korra agreed. Following this she turned back to face Mako and Bolin, only to see them looking at her patiently. “What?!”

“It’s…your turn.” Mako said, recoiling in fear.

“Oh, right.” She acknowledged. “Alrighty then, never have I ever…seriously considered getting a tattoo.”

Bolin immediately reached forward and took a drink, he was followed a few moments later by Mako. After they had finished off their drinks and Korra was preparing to ask them questions, Asami lunged her arm forward and drank a shot, making sure to avoid eye contact with all of them.

“All three of you? I didn’t expect that.” Korra remarked. “What were you all gonna get?”

“I wanted a little Pabu on my arm.” Bolin said, gesturing towards his bicep. “I would, but I’m scared of needles.”

“Cute.” Korra added. “Mako?”

“I, uh…I was going to get a lightning bolt.” He murmured awkwardly.

Korra burst out laughing. “Seriously? A lightning bolt?”

“Yeah, I know.” He sighed. “I thought it would be cool at the time. Thankfully I didn’t go through with it.”

“Oh man, that certainly would’ve been something.” She giggled before turning to face Asami. “What about you?”

“Its…embarrassing.” Asami whispered, still refusing eye contact.

“Come on, it can’t be worse than Mako’s.” Korra smiled encouragingly.

“Alright, fine.” She conceded. “I wanted to get your name on my wrist. I still kind of do.”

“Really, why?” Korra grinned in surprise.

“It’s stupid, but I wanted you to always be with me. At least symbolically.” She traced her thumb horizontally just below her palm to show Korra exactly where she wanted it.

“How is that stupid? It would be so cool! I could get your name, you get mine…” Korra suggested.

“As much as I love your enthusiasm, I’m not set on it just yet. Maybe one day.” Asami considered. “I promise I’ll think about it.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Korra replied. “This game was fun, nice idea Bolin.”

“Anytime.” He beamed at the other three. “I love hanging out with you guys.”

They all smiled in agreement, equally happy to share in one another’s company.

“Anyone got any fun stories?” Bolin asked. “Mako, why don’t you regale us with a story from your heroic police escapades.”

“Yeah…sure, I guess I could.” Mako said noncommittally.

“If you’re going to, please, have some flair when you tell us.” Asami grinned playfully.

“Meaning?” He asked impatiently.

“She’s telling you not to be boring.” Korra stated bluntly with a smirk.

“Alright, whatever. Just give me a second to think of something good.” He grumbled.

As they sat back waiting for Mako to rack his brain for worthwhile stories, Asami teasingly feigned a long yawn, making sure he saw it.

“Okay, I think I’ve got something.” He finally declared. “It started off like this–”

“Hey, guys!” Opal suddenly appeared behind Bolin and rested her hands on his shoulders, causing Mako to lose all concentration. “Asami! It’s so good to see you.”

“You too.” She replied.

“Bo, I was wondering if you’d like to join me for a dance?” Opal asked him confidently.

“That sounds great!” He agreed joyfully. “Guys, you okay to catch up later?”

“Don’t let us stop you. You guys go and have fun.” Korra said to them. Mako and Asami smiled and nodded with her in agreement.

He thanked them and headed off with Opal towards the dance floor. Leaving Korra, Asami, and Mako to themselves.

Now that Bolin had left, Korra noticed a girl sat on a nearby table who appeared to be staring in their direction. She looked to be about their age, her skin was fairly pale, and she was assuredly pretty. She wore a lightly decorated yellow dress and had jet black hair which she wore in a braid that hung over her shoulder. Upon further inspection, it seemed as though she was looking at Mako. Eventually, the girl realised she had been spotted and proceeded to act as though she was merely looking into the middle distance.

“Do you see that girl?” Korra whispered to Asami, gesturing towards the girl with a nod of her head.

“Yeah, why?” She whispered back.

“I think she was checking out Mako. Should I tell him?”

“Depends. How sure are you?”

“Fairly, but–”

“What are you guys whispering about?” Mako asked, feeling extremely uncomfortable being the only one left out of the conversation.

“Okay, Mako,” Korra began. “Don’t turn around, but there’s this girl who I think might be interested in you.”

“Really? What should I do?” He panicked.

“Go and talk to her, obviously.” Asami advised him with a look intended to say _what else would you do?_.

“Okay, okay. Okay!” He proclaimed in an attempt to calm himself. “Wait, what does she look like?”

“Pretty girl, yellow dress, dark hair, braid.” Korra informed him. “I’m sure she’s lovely. And I get the impression she’s just as awkward as you, so you two should get on just fine. Now go on, don’t keep her waiting.”

“I don’t think I’m that awkward…but, whatever.” He said in acceptance. “I guess I’ll see you guys another time then. Maybe I’ll have some good news.”

“Good luck.” Asami encouraged him with a sincerely hopeful smile.

“Yeah, don’t mess it up.” Korra added jokingly, to the response of a sharp jab in her side from the elbow of the woman sat next to her.

They watched him head off and introduce himself to her. She gestured for him to sit, and they spoke. As far as Korra and Asami could tell, it seemed to be all well.

“Guess it’s just us again.” Korra grinned. “Say, were you actually nervous when we moved in together?”

“You’re asking about that now? Yeah, I was terrified.” Asami confessed. “Don’t get me wrong, I was _so_ excited, but it really felt like a big step for us. I think I was just scared of screwing everything up. Weren’t you at least a little nervous?”

“I was at first, but when I got to the house and saw you, all my worries just drifted away.” Korra smiled at her girlfriend contently, and her sentiment was returned in kind.

After a few minutes of quiet conversation, Korra found herself distracted by the soothing, romantic melodies stemming from the band’s performance. She noticed her foot subconsciously tapping along to the beautiful combination of instruments.

As the music went on, Korra felt Kya’s words pierce into her mind; _seize the moment, be romantic, dance with her._ Her thoughts were filled with images of Asami and herself gracefully floating and skating across the dance floor, twirling and leaping with finesse akin to that of a pair of master airbenders. Korra knew how to apply skills such as these in the heat of battle; but using her dexterity to dance? She feared that even with her girlfriend’s guiding hand the dreams contained within her mind’s eye would remain there. She thought it likely that these visions would stay a mere fantasy, with reality revealing that when it came to dancing she had no more agility than a turtle-duck.

“Korra? Did you hear what I said?”

“Hmm?” Korra turned back to face her partner. She hadn’t realised just how distracted she was.

“Are you okay? You look a little out of sorts.” Asami tenderly rested her hand onto her girlfriend’s shoulder.

“What are you talking about? I’m great!” Korra exclaimed with a smile that caused Asami to chuckle. “Just…thinking.”

“Oh? Anything interesting?”

“It…could be.”

“Is it something clandestine?” Asami pondered, unsure as to why Korra was being so cryptic.

“Nothing secretive this time. I was wondering if you would be interested in a dance?” Korra spoke slowly, articulating each word with the utmost care as she tried to break past her anxiety.

Asami beamed at her, delight plainly visible in her eyes. “Why are you so on edge? I would love to.”

“So would I. But, I’ve never danced with a partner before. Normally I just sorta flail on my own.” Korra did an awkward shaking motion with her body in an attempt to illustrate this, much to Asami’s bewilderment. “What I’m trying to ask is, can you show me how to dance?”

“I’d be more than happy to teach you what I know! You don’t need to worry, it’s not that hard.” Asami reassured her.

“Thanks. You’re the best.” Korra giggled.

“I know.” Asami gave her a smug smile. “So, since I’m teaching you to drive _and_ dance, does that mean I qualify as an official teacher of the Avatar?”

“Sure, I’ll have Tenzin get all the paperwork together.” She joked. “But first, how about that dance?"

* * *

Hand in hand they headed over to the now fairly busy dance floor. Although there were many people around them, Korra paid them no mind. In this moment, no one was more important to her than Asami.

As they arrived at the dance floor, Asami brought them to a sudden stop and moved over to stand opposite her partner. Korra found herself totally captivated by her very being. She was absorbed by everything from the faint, sweet smell of her lilac scented perfume, to the way her long jet-black strands of hair sparkled under the light and seemed to move in slow motion as she turned to face her.

“Korra, take my hand, and put your other onto my shoulder.”

She did as instructed, gripping onto her girlfriend’s hand and interlacing their fingers while she positioned her other onto the taller woman’s shoulder. Following this, Asami firmly placed her other hand onto Korra’s waist and pulled her close.

“So…what now?” Korra whispered timidly as they stood idly in the crowd.

“For now, just follow my lead. We can start slow. You’ll be all right.” Asami gave her a bright smile in an effort to embolden her. It worked instantly, causing Korra’s shoulders to loosen, her whole body relaxing under her hold. They each gazed happily into the eyes of the other, their expressions showcasing the sheer love they felt for one another.

Together they gently swayed from side to side. Initially Korra struggled to follow along with her girlfriend’s rhythm, but she quickly got the hang of it and started to move at the correct speed.

“See? I told you it’s not that hard.” Asami smiled encouragingly. “How about we pick up the pace.”

At first, _pick up the pace_ translated into them swaying a little faster and alternating between motions, going back and forth, then side to side. Just as Korra was getting comfortable maintaining this, Asami suddenly let go of her waist and loosened the grip that was conjoining their hands. In the blink of an eye, the taller woman nimbly twirled around on one foot before flawlessly returning to take her partner back into her hold. She performed her spontaneous manoeuvre as though it were an action no more ordinary than breathing, much to Korra’s admiration.

“Okay, you’re turn.” Asami said in full seriousness.

Korra, still stunned by her girlfriend’s action, felt all of her muscles tighten up again and found the best immediate response she could muster was a spout of nervous laughter. It took a few more swaying motions before she finally spoke. “I really don’t think I can do that.”

“Sure you can. I’ve seen you fight, so I know you can do a little spin.” Asami said, wondering how someone who has fought people as she flew through the air could be so ridiculous as to think she can’t dance. “Besides, from what I can tell, dancing is pretty similar to bending.”

“How exactly?” Korra gave her a look as if to say _Asami, I love you, but I really don’t think it is_.

“After watching you training so many times I think I might’ve picked up a thing or two.” Asami stated confidently. “Firebending is all about your emotional state, your inner energy, right?”

Korra nodded slowly, wondering if she was being taught how to dance or if she was sixteen again, back at the Southern Water Tribe Compound and about to be informed she was too ‘ _reckless_ ’.

“Well, like any good bender you need loosen up.” Asami continued. “Right now I can feel you’re so tense it’s a wonder you can move at all. You don’t need to be nervous, just take a few deep breaths in and out, and keep your eyes on me.”

Korra did so and found herself once again consumed by tranquillity, although she was questioning what was responsible, the breathing exercise, or the deep emerald stare her own gaze was fixated on. She had a feeling it was the latter.

“Good, now that your relaxed let’s focus on all that energy I know you’ve got stored up.” Asami went on, tightening the grip on her waist. “In dancing – just like firebending – you have to unleash that energy to be effective, you need to be… _passionate_.” No sooner than the words had left her mouth, she pulled Korra in close enough to clearly see the beads of sweat trickling down her forehead, most likely from anxiety rather than fatigue since she had hardly moved.

Korra’s cheeks turned a deep crimson, her whole body ran red hot with anticipation. In this moment she could have moved her head the slightest inch forward and shared all of the warmth and passion she felt inside with the lips of the woman opposite her.

She had no more than a few seconds to consider and process all of this before Asami leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “ _Go on, show me your pirouette_.” She pushed her back and released the hold on her waist, using her hand to guide her through the motions.

Much to her own surprise, Korra successfully performed a twirl in a similar fashion to her partner, not quite as elegantly perhaps, but it was successful, nonetheless.

“See! Not that hard.” Asami gushed.

“Yeah, that was fun.” Korra agreed. “Hey, watch me go again.”

They engaged in the same movements as before, only faster now, which worked to Korra’s downfall. She got about three quarters of the way through the motion, but as she reached over to place her hand back onto Asami’s shoulder, she slipped on the pristine marble floor, causing her to lose her footing.

Seeing that her partner was about to fall face first onto the ground, Asami sprung forward and wrapped her arm back around Korra’s waist, stabilising her.

“Thanks.” Korra said, blushing in embarrassment.

“Don’t worry about it.” Asami said, laughing off their near disaster. “It’s my fault anyway, I forgot to teach you about earthbending; might’ve helped you stay grounded.”

Korra giggled boisterously as they continued to dance, holding onto one another a little tighter now. Simply swaying in each other’s arms was pure bliss, a feeling as incredible and beautiful as the Spirit World itself.

They danced through more songs than they could count. In that time they tried a few more advanced moves, to varying degrees of success. Many couples came and went while Korra and Asami lingered, but they were too fixated on each other to notice.

* * *

“For a first time, you were pretty good.” Asami said as they walked away from the dance floor. “If you keep at it, one day you might be able to add dancing to your list of masteries.”

“Between this and driving I'll have to start calling you _Master Sato_.” Korra joked.

Asami snorted in laughter. “That sounds terrible.”

“Yeah, let’s stick to just _Asami_.” Korra agreed. “What do you wanna do now?”

“It’s getting pretty late. We could stay longer if you like, but I’m starting to feel a little sleepy.” Asami said, stifling a yawn.

Korra took a moment to look around at the party. At this point in the evening the number of guests had significantly depleted, not by enough for it to be completely over, but by enough that she didn’t have any qualms about taking off. Not to mention she was also getting a little tired.

“I wouldn’t say no to a fluffy blanket right about now. Sure, let’s go.”

“Tonight has been wonderful, thank you for being here with me – and for putting up with my weird behaviour.” Asami laughed as she wrapped her arm around Korra’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it. I love you, no matter what.” Korra gave her a broad, affectionate grin.

“I love you too.” Asami replied, returning her girlfriend’s joyful expression.

* * *

Opening the front door of the hotel, they were met with a steady shower of rain beating down from the night sky, while a gentle yet cutting breeze brushed over them.

“Ugh, why does it have to be so cold.” Asami complained to herself. “And this rain, what are we going to…oh, right, that was stupid."

Korra had already stepped out into the rain. She had her arm extended above her head and was bending the rainwater before it could hit her, forming a protective barrier of water for them to stand under which shielded them from getting soaked. Asami joined her and they headed back to their Satomobile.

As they were walking, Asami glanced off to the side and caught the glow of radiant gold shining over them which made her stop in her tracks, blinded by beauty. She knew its source immediately.

Turning to see what her girlfriend was looking at, Korra realised what had caught her eye. “The Spirit Portal.” She whispered, now also frozen in place, enamoured by its magnificence. 

“I’d like to think that my parents would have loved this view.” Asami said, breaking the silence between them. “I wish they could have been here to see this place, this City, everything we’ve all accomplished…the world has changed so much in such a short span of time. Thinking back to just a few years ago makes right now seem surreal.”

Korra wrapped her free arm around Asami as they both kept their eyes on the Spirit Portal. “If they were, I’m sure they’d be proud of you. I know I am.”

A contented smile spread across Asami’s face; the golden light made her beauty seem ethereal. Her posture was as relaxed and free as an airbender in meditation. She appeared totally free from all the pain that had afflicted her mind just a few hours ago.

“Come on, let’s go home.”

* * *

As they drifted slowly under the mellow blackness of Republic City’s night sky, Korra hummed a few of the songs they had danced to. The rhythm rippled uninterrupted across her mind for the entire journey. Occasionally she would look over to Asami, and every time she would see her bobbing her own head along to the melody.

Once they arrived home, Asami parked their Satomobile in a manner which could delicately be described as less than perfect. She could have corrected it, but right now she was far too tired to care. Together they trudged inside, and before anything else went over to get changed into their pyjamas. Once they were dressed, Asami started to walk out of their bedroom as Korra sat cross legged atop their bed.

“So…can I see those pictures now.” Korra asked, trying her luck with an intentionally loveable smile.

“What pictures?” Asami yawned.

“Y’know, the ones you mentioned earlier – your short hair.”

“Oh, right. Go have a look on my desk, you should find a dark red book. The pictures will be in it somewhere. You’re welcome to browse through everything else in there if you like.”

“Alright, I’ll see you in a minute.”

“Just, please be careful with it.” Asami added as Korra got up to leave.

“I will be.” Korra said, starting to wonder what was so important about it.

She made her way down the hall to Asami’s office. Walking in, she spotted a dark red leather-bound book exactly where its owner said it would be. Korra giddily skipped over to it, eager to browse its contents. She picked it up and hopped into her girlfriend’s chair, propping her legs up on the desk. Sitting here gave her a feeling of authority not dissimilar to a monarch atop their throne, but with significantly more comfort. The perfect commanding position for the head of a corporate empire.

She slouched back and opened the book from its end, working her way backwards until she found a page which was not blank. About halfway through, she was met with a neatly arranged collection of glued down pictures of Team Avatar all together. Looking through a few more pages, it dawned on her that this was a photo album, which up until now she had no idea existed.

There were Team Avatar photos dating back to when they all met, mixed in with some recent pictures of her and Asami. She tried to browse through the pages quickly, not wanting to take too long before getting back to her partner.

The earliest entry with all four of them was a photo taken during Pro-bending training. Asami was stood smiling on one end while Mako and Bolin struck a pose in the middle. Korra stood at the other end and looked exhausted – signalling to her that this was probably taken during morning training. The distance between her and the woman who would later become her girlfriend served as a visual reminder of just how far they had come.

Moving on from this, she found pictures of her partner before they met. Included in these were photographs of Asami with her father. Korra was glad they had reconciled with each other, and that she was able to preserve all of these happy memories from the relationship she and Hiroshi had.

Nearing the front of the book, she finally found what she was looking for. Two pictures of a teenage Asami with hair just as she had described, looking very pleased with herself. It was strange, seeing a version of her before they had met. It felt like the girl in the picture was incomplete, a half-filled vessel yet to become the woman Korra had fallen in love with. Even so, it made her smile.

Korra was about to leave the book and rejoin her girlfriend, but curiosity beckoned her to keep looking through, and so she started to peruse the pages closest to the front. She found what must have been some of the oldest pictures in the book. Once she was only a few pages from the front, she found a few pictures of Yasuko, Asami’s mother.

She paused on these pages, recognising the importance they likely held to her partner. Despite the fact that the woman in the photographs had died over a decade before Korra has so much as stepped into Republic City, she felt as though she had just passed by the grave of a fallen friend, and was honour bound to stop and pay her respects.

Korra could not help but notice the extent to which Asami now resembled her mother. In the few pictures available she could see their all of their shared characteristics. Everything from their beauty, to their posture, even subtle facial expressions were visibly similar. Asami had given her permission to look at everything in the book, but these photographs seemed too personal to study in great detail behind her back, and so she quickly moved on before looking further.

Upon reaching the very first entry of the book, Korra was met with two pictures, each with an entire page devoted to them. The first was a photograph of Asami as a child standing in front of both of her parents, sincerely happy together. Somehow it evoked a mixed feeling of bliss for what her girlfriend had, but coincided with a feeling of sorrow for what could have been.

Adjacent to this, to Korra’s surprise, was a picture of Asami and herself, each with one arm around the other. Amidst images of Asami’s past, this recently taken photograph seemed out of place to her.

The day it was taken hadn’t even registered to her as particularly special. It was from about a month ago, they both had a day off and after finding out Korra had never eaten ice cream, Asami took her out on a date to get some. It had been sweltering that day, which helped in transforming the simple food into a delicacy. They went shopping, bought nothing except for more ice cream, and spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out together in Avatar Korra Park.

For a small fee, an elderly man had been offering to take people’s pictures. They took him up on the offer and got a photograph of themselves. Asami had been the one to take it from him and after the day was over Korra hadn’t thought to wonder what happened to it.

Written across both pages underneath the photographs was one word. _Family_. It had been written in Asami’s own elegant, cursive handwriting. Korra was stunned. Her girlfriend had taken these two pictures and stuck them side by side, creating a visual representation of the fact that in her mind she considered Korra to be of equal importance beside her own parents.

A small smile crept onto her face as she tried to hold back tears of joy, but a few slipped by when she blinked, the droplets slowly streaming down her cheeks. She knew Asami thought of her this way, she had even said as much before, but seeing it on these pages after looking through a vast collection of memories both shared and personal to her partner made the word hit differently.

Wiping her eyes, she got up to leave the office, taking the book with her. She heard the crackling of fire coming from the living room and headed over, presuming she would find her girlfriend there.

Asami sat casually on the sofa across from the fireplace. She was snuggled up under a fluffy blanket with her eyes shut, looking as though she was in meditation, having found inner peace. Albeit extremely casual meditation, lacking even the correct posture.

“Scooch over!” Korra shouted, making her presence known the moment she entered the room.

Asami suddenly bounced back to reality, having been ripped away from tranquillity. She hastily shifted her legs to give her partner space to sit as Korra leapt over the back of the sofa and sat down, cosying up next to her and snatching the blanket so they could share in its comfort.

“I see you got a fire going. Are you secretly a firebender or something?” Korra teased.

“You do know it’s possible to create flame without bending, right?” Asami remarked, unfazed by Korra’s sudden reappearance. It hadn’t taken long after living together for her to grow accustomed to antics such as these. She found it both tiring, and somehow endearing.

“I guess, but…effort.” Korra shrugged. “I found your photo album by the way.”

“You were gone quite for a while. I guess you couldn’t resist looking through.” She said, pointing to the book in Korra’s hands.

“Yeah, sorry. If you had time to start a fire I must’ve really kept you waiting, huh.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m curious though, what did you think of it?”

“It’s amazing. All these memories…when did you put this together?”

“It’s just a little side project I’ve been working on in my spare time.” Asami explained, smiling proudly as she took the book from Korra’s hands. “I was going to show you once it was finished, there’s still a few photos I haven’t put in yet. I had so many old pictures I wanted to preserve for posterity. I thought it would be nice to keep them in a book. That way we could have an album with all the pictures of us, our friends, family, everything.”

“I’m glad you kept all of these, it’s nice to be reminded of all of these days.” Korra said. “What haven’t you put in there yet?”

“When we went to visit your parents I told them about this. They gave me some pictures of you when you were younger, and some with all three of you together. I don’t know if you’ve seen them, but you’re adorable.”

“I imagine so, but I doubt those are as good as the ones of you looking cute with short hair.” Korra leaned over and played with the ends of Asami’s hair for a moment, twirling the thick curls around her finger. “Would you ever go for it again?”

“No promises, but maybe one day you’ll get to see it in person.” Asami said, making no particular commitments but enjoying Korra’s ecstatic reaction at the mere suggestion. “Come on, that can’t have been the most interesting thing you saw.”

“Well, yeah. I, uh…I saw the photos of your mom as well.” Korra stammered, doing her best to bring it up as delicately as possible.

“Yeah, I don’t have many of her. It’s nice to have something tangible to hold on to.” Asami commented wistfully.

“You two really look alike. I had to double check a few times just to make sure it wasn’t you.”

“I really don’t think…” Asami murmured to herself as she opened the book to find a picture of her mother, seeking to prove Korra wrong. She spent a short while staring down at the pictures, frowning and tightening her lip. “You’re…right. How did I never notice?”

“It’s not the sort of thing you realise until someone points it out. Remember when you told me I look like my mom?”

Asami let out a snort of laughter. “I forgot about that. You refused to believe me for days.” 

“It was not that long!” Korra insisted, starting to wish she hadn’t brought that back up.

“I promise you it was that long.” Asami said. “Speaking of your parents, next time we see them we should take a photo of all four of us.”

“Yes! They'll love that. You’ll have to take a few shots though, because they’re going to try and keep them all.”

“Hopefully I won’t have to take one by force.” Asami added, causing Korra to chuckle as she imagined her girlfriend fleeing from her parents over a photo. “So, anything else in there catch your eye?”

“There was one thing.” Korra mumbled, thinking about the entry which had stuck in her mind. “The first couple of pages were…noteworthy.”

“Good noteworthy?” Asami asked timidly, looking down and seeming wary of having overstepped somehow, evidently unsure of how those pages would be received.

Korra brushed the taller woman’s hair over her ear and laid a gentle kiss on her cheek before cuddling up beside her. “Good noteworthy.” She whispered, leaving a satisfied grin on her girlfriend’s face and sending a clearly visible shiver through her body.

“I’m glad you liked it. That day we spent together was perfect.”

“It was a good day, but what made it so special to you?” Korra asked. “I would’ve thought you’d want to put a different picture in that spot.”

“You remember when we were eating ice cream in the park?” Asami began. “Well, there was this moment when I looked over to you and you had some on your face – which made you look completely ridiculous. Before you noticed and wiped it off, you turned to face me with the most dumb, adorable grin I think I’ve ever seen. And that was the moment I realised you’re the most important person in my life.”

Korra smiled at her broadly. “Can we pick a moment when I don’t look like an idiot?”

“Nah, I like this one.” Asami giggled.

“Well, at least it’s true to life.” Korra chuckled with her. “Any other memories in there you’re particularly fond of?"

“There’s so many…I don’t know where to start.”

“Just start from the best part.” Korra snuggled up with Asami and leaned over her as she flipped through their photo album.

Together they browsed the vast collection and reminisced over days gone by, sharing laughter and tears in equal measure. As the fire died down and the rainfall came to end and the clouds in the sky parted to make way for the light of the moon, the pair continued to share in each other’s warming embrace – even after they became too tired to keep their eyes open and their full weight slumped up against one another.

They rested peacefully where they sat, lulled into a quiet slumber by happy memories of the past, and a lifetime of blank pages ahead of them, waiting to be filled.

**_The End_ **


End file.
